Manure-spreader.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.'

ALEXUS C. LINDGREN, 0F MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MOLINE ILOWCOMPANY, .A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.-

MANURE-SPREADER.

Application led July 15, 1910. Serial No. 572,176.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be itknown that I` ALEXUS C. LINDGREN, of M oline, county of Rock Island, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful be simple in construction, effectiveyin :rc-

tion, and whichmay be conveniently and easily controlled by the driver.

With these ends in4 view, my invention consists in 'a driving mechanism for the ,beater and feeding apron, said mechanism comprising endless driving chainsarranged on opposite sides of the body of the machine and adapted to be driven by Sprocket wheels on the ground wheels, the said chains being arranged to drive sprockets on the beater mechanism shaft.l and adapted also to drive a sprocket controlling the action of the feeding apron, suitable meansof improved form 'and construction being provided, under the control of the driver, for disen- `gaging the driving chains from their driving sprockets or engaging the same at will; whereby the beater and feeding apron may be'thro vn into or out of action as desired.

The invention consists also in the details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevationl of my improved machine, showing `the driving chain engaged with its driving sprocket in order to operate the .beater and feeding apron. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the driving chain disengaged from its sprocket. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line a-a of Fig. 1.

yReferring to the drawings: 1 represents a box or body to receive the manure, and which is sustained and supported bya Wagon gear ,2 having the usual front and rear wheels.

Vithin the body, .aL-its bottom, `is arranged a feeding apron 5 adapted, as usual,

Specification of Letters Patent.. Patented July 25, 1911f to feed the manure rearwardly and presentthe same continuously to `the action of ther4 beater mechanism.

may be` of any suitable or appropriate form. of an endless apron passing over supporting rolls 7 and 8 at the front and rear of the body respectively, the roll 8 being car- In the present instance, it consists This feeding device i ried by a driving shaft!) journaled in suiti able bearings, and adapted to receive .a stepby-step motion inI the manner presently to be described.

The beater 10 is mounted at the rear end i of the body, on a shaft 11 journaled in suitable bearings, .which shaft'has fixed to its opposite ends sprocket wheels 12.

13 and 14 represent endless i driving chains arranged on opposite sidesof the box and passing at the .rear overth'e said sprocket Wheels 12, and at the front over tension devices in the form of guide sheaves 15 and 16, the said chains betweenv their ends being adapted to engage andbe driven by driving sprocket wheels 17 and 18 fixed to t-he rear ground wheels, whereby the motion of the ground wheels will be imparted to'the' beater shaft, and will rotate the beater in the directionof the arrow inv Fig. 1.

The sheaves 15 and 16 are carried by blocks 15il and 1G mounted to slide back andforth on guide' rails 15b and 16b 'fixed to the sides of the body, which blocks are urged constantly forward by means of springs 15"'l and 1G, encircling rods 15d and 1Gd connected with the sliding blocks and extending through the ends of the guide y rails, the said springs bearing at their forward ends against heads 15e and 1Ge on the rods, and at their rear ends against the ends of the rails, and tending to draw the sheaves `sie forward and thereby maintailnthe driving.

chains under tension and free of the driving sprockets, as shown in Fig. 2. are connected with the driving sprockets and held in engagement, by means of movguide plates 23 and 24 fixed to the sides of the body, the movement of said slides down- The chains. n

iable devices in the form of pulleys 19 and 20. arrangedto engage the lower side of the chains, and journaled respectively Yon mov-v` f able frames 21 and`22 mounted to slide on Wardly causingthelower side of the chains l the pulley 19. jointed to a sliding block 31 mounted-to to be drawn down and engaged with the driving sprfjckets, against the influence ot the springs 15C and 1GB; and the movements of said slides upwardly, permitting the chains to be drawn by the springs free of the said sprockets, as shown in Fig. 2, these actions causing the beater mechanism' to be thrown into arid out of'gear respectively. The movements oiithe slides 2l and Q2 are effected by means oil a hand lever 2st at the front end of the-body, which hand lever is pivoted-to the side'of the body as has jointed to its? lower end a rod 2G ex" tending longitudinally rear fardly, and a rod 27 extending rearwardly and obliquely to the opposite side .ofthe body. The rear 'end of rod 2G is jointed to a sliding block mounted to move back and forth on a guiding plate 29, which bltick is jointed, by means of a link 30, to the slide 21 carrying The rear end of rod 27 is move back and forth on a guidev plate 82,

which block is jointed, by means ol a link 33, with the sliding block 22 carrying pul- .ley 20. lthis constructiom'when the lever 24 is thrown to the rear, as in Fig. 1, the

lpulleys 19 and 20 will be drawn downwardly andjvill force the lower sides of the endless sprocket chains into engagement respectively with the driving sprocket Wheels, the tension sheaves 15 and 1t.' being drawn rearwardly against the influence of their springs. When the leyer 24 is thrown forwardly, as in Fig. Q,-the pulleys 1S) and 2t) will be moved npnf'ardly, and releasing the chains, the ten-.

sion sheaves Iwill act to draw the lower sides of the chains nj'nvardly and tree of the driving sprockets. i

rthe feeding'ajn'on, before alluded to, receives its motion from one of the endless driving chains through the medium ol a sprocket wheel #10 `journaled on the side ol. the body and arranged within the endless chain, being engaged at its uppc' and lower sides by the upper and lower portions ot' the chain respectively, by whiclh means the motion ot the chain will be imparted to the sprocket' in the tflirection olf the arrow in Fig. I. livoted eecentrict lly to the sprocket., is a link 4 1, whose lower' end isjointed .to the outer end ot'.a vibratory arm 42,' the inner end of which is mounted loosely on the shaft t), before alluded to. i'\djace|,it. this arm, the shaft has Iixed to it a ratchet wheel' Iti`,`=\\'hose teeth are adapted to be engaged by la driving dog 44 on the. end ot the arm di), whereby the Vil'iratory motion o'l, siid arm, cllecled by the rotation ot. the sproolt'etI wheel 40, will advance the shafty S) inter n'iittzently step-by-step and thereby 'npart acorresponding motion to thefeedingam'on, In .order thattheextent ol^'movement ot ythe shaft t) by eachl vibration of the arm may be varied, in order to vary the speed ot at 25, and` advance of the feeding apron, I provide 'a device 4 5 adapted to cooperate with .the driving dog il-t in such manner asto control the engagement ol said dogwith the ratchet teeth, the adjustment ot the .saiddevice in one position pern'iitting the driving dog to remain in engagement with a tooth turing the full stroke ot the dog, and its adjustment in a ditl'erent position permitting the dog to remain in engagement with a tooth lor only a portion o1 the stroke ol. the dog. This device consists ot an `arm `lt "mounted at its inner end loosely on the sh t`t'v t) adjacent the ratchet wheel, and ha ing` its opter end formed with a curved cam stirt'ace 4:7. The arm is adapted to be adjusted relatively to the driving dog by means of a rod t8 jointed at, its rauend thereto and extending forwardly alongside end to the body and adapted to be engaged in notches in .'1-locking plate 50 fixed to the cam surface -tT on the arm -lv may be set in ditl'erent positions relatively to the driving dog. which latter is ol such width that it; will extend over said cam surlface. linen it, is desired `that the driving dog maintain engagement .with the'sprocket tooth lor the tiull stroke ot the dog, and thereby give to the apron its maximum liet-d, the cam sur1 Vlace -fl'T is adjusted free oti'tulgagelnent with the dog. Vliet), howev'efr, il: is dlfired that'y the dog remain in ciigagenrent with thel tooth only tor a portion olfthe stroke ot the dog, the cam surl'acc is adjusted so that the dog will engage therewith in its l'cedingl u1otion .\vilh the result:l that the dog will be held out o1 engageinent with the ratchet 'tooth during a portion ol its stroke, according to the adjustment ol the cam surface. ly this means7 tli'e speed ol the apronmay be nicely'controlled` according to the conditions encountered i'n practice.

lt will be observed from the construction described that 4all of the operative parts of the n'lcehanism, are sustained and carried by the body or box, which inay be applied to an ordinary wagon gear as an attachment, with the addition only of sprocket wheels to. the gafound wheels ot' the getti'. Further, vit-wil1 be observed that'. the mechanism is composed ot' tew parts, is etlective in operation, and by means ol the movable sheaves 19 `and 2t), the parts may be instantly thrown into or out ol. operation, as desired, bythe single hand lever 24.

While in the accompanying drawings I have .illustrated an, embodiment of my invention which in practice has been found t0 answer toa satisfactory extent the results to be attained, it is to be understood that. the detailsv may be variously n'ttiditied by the lslcilled mechanic without departing 'from ot the bodyand jointed at its forward end to an atljnsting lever Lvtt) pivoted at its lower By means of ,this construction, the i seams.

the limits of my invention, and it is further to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to'any particular form or construction of the parts except in so far as snch limitations are specified in the claims,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 2d l. In a manure spreader, the combination with a driving sprocket, of an endless chain, a rotary beater mechanism provided with a sprocket wheel engaged by said chain, a ten sion device also engaged by the chain for holding the same normally ont of engagement with the driving sprocket, and a movable device adapted to engage the chain bef tween the beater sprocket and tension device, and acting by its movements to control the engagement of the chain with and its disengagement from the driving sprocket.

2. .ln a manure spreader, the combination with a driving sprocket, of an endless chain, a rotary beater mechanism adapted to be operated by said sprocket chain, a spring actuated tension device-engaged by the chain 'and tending to hold the same disengaged from the driving sprocket, and a movable device 'engaging the chain and adapted when moved, to force the same against the action of the tension device into engagement with the driving sprocket.

, 3. In a manure spreader, the combination witha driving sprocket, ot' an endless chain arrangedabove the same, a beater mechanism operated by said chain, a tension dcvice acting onv the chain and tending non' mallyl to hold the same above the driving sprocket and ont oi engagement therewith, and a downwardly moving device engaging the lower part o t' thc chain and adapted to -t'orce the chain downwardly against the action of the tension device and into engagement with the driving sprocket.

4. In a manure spreader, the combination with a driving sprocket, of an endless driving chain, a beater'inechanism,operated by said chain, an intermittently acting apron feeding mechanism to advance the apron step by step, and an idler sprocket Wheel independent of the beater mechanism engaged on opposite sides by the chain and operatively connected With the intermittently actA ing apron feeding mechanism.

5. In a manure spreader, the combination with a driving sprocket, of an endless driving chain, a beater mechanism provided with a sprocket Wheel engaged by said chain, a tension device also engaged by the chain, a sprocket Wheel between the beater mechanism and tension device engaged on opposite sides by the chain, and mechanism controlled by the rotation of the last named sprocket for advancing the apron step by i step.

6. .In a manure spreader, the combination with a driving sprocket, of an endless driving chain, a beater mechanism operated thereby, an apron feeding shaft, a vibratory arm adapted to operate the said shaft intermittently an idler sprocket Wlieel'independent o't t-lie beater mechanism engaged by said chain, and a link pivotedeccentrically to said sprocket Wheel and to the vibratory arm.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 13th day of July, 1910, in the presence of two attesting witnesses,

ALEXUS C. LINDGREN.

lVitnesses L. C. BLANDING, C. M. BANSKE. 

